Windows for a 3 season porch

We are going to build a 3 season porch, and are trying to decide on what type of vinyl window to use. Single hung, sliders, or casement. I'm thinking single hung may be the best choice because the windows will be 5' tall. The ceiling will be 8', so we are thinking of 5' tall windows, with a 2' knee wall. Are 5' tall casements and sliders too tall to operate properly? Will the extra weight of the 5' windows cause problems in the future? Thanks.

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Windows for a 3 season porch

No way would I suggest casements or sliders.
Why a single hung? For a window that tall I would want to be able to lower the top sash to let the heat out.
Also with a double hung you can tip in the sashes from inside the house to clean them.

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Windows for a 3 season porch

Thanks Joe. You wouldn't suggest casements or sliders because 5' is too tall? We used to have double hung windows, and we never opened the top sash, so I never even thought of that. I think we may be able to feel the breeze better if the bottom sash is open, instead of the top. I don't think the cleaning is an issue because the floor will only be 16" above grade. They will be easy enough to do from the outside. I guess it depends on the price difference.

Windows for a 3 season porch

+1 to the above brands and advice. Sliders are a nice choice for this application as they will provide the most glass area as opposed to twin DH's or twin Ca's, and will cost less. Given the size of these units, a quality product would be highly recommended even though it is presumably not going to be heated.

Windows for a 3 season porch

Thanks guys. I didn't think sliders would have more glass area than casements. Our house windows are all casements, so I don't know what to do.

It will have some sort of heat. Either electric, or tapping into our current ductwork(I haven't gotten any prices for this yet). There's a wall register on our wall, right where the porch will be, so maybe it won't be too expensive.

Okan and Himark are the same company. The 2 websites have the exact same address. What's the deal with this?

Windows for a 3 season porch

2 different dealer networks for okna and HiMark. Different dealers have different products available.
A slider will not offer more glass area than an equal sized single casement, however due to the way that they are typically oriented, sliders generally replace a twin casement. In that case the meeting rail will be thinner by a few inches so it will offer more glass area.
Regarding your heating needs, I'd recommend that you get that assessed by a pro. Pm me if you need a recommendation in the area... I'd also highly recommend proper insulation/air sealing in the new space if you plan on heating it. That will actually have far more bearing on the comfort level in the room than the windows.

Windows for a 3 season porch

We had sliders in our old 3-season porch and they worked pretty well. Sure, they're not going to seal as well as double-hung or casement. But give ALL of the outside walls there were WINDOWS it's not like energy efficiency was ever really part of the bargain.

The upside to sliders was they didn't intrude on the outside space. Casement windows would have stuck out into walking areas in more than one place.

Double-hung windows would've had more bulk and not passed as much light, and blocked more view, than the sliders.

I don't recall the brand but they did appear to be good quality. Even 15 years after they'd been installed they still functioned perfectly. Even the screens had held up.